Month: November 2015

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Holy Gospel

Liturgical Colour : Green

Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum – Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew

Matthew 13 : 31-35

In illo tempore : Dixit Jesus turbis parabolam hanc : Simile est regnum caelorum grano sinapis, quod accipiens homo seminavit in agro suo : quod minimum quidem est omnibus seminibus : cum autem creverit, majus est omnibus oleribus, et fit arbor, ita ut volucres caeli veniant et habitent in ramis ejus.

Aliam parabolam locutus est eis : Simile est regnum caelorum fermento, quod acceptum mulier abscondit in farinae satis tribus, donec fermentatum est totum. Haec omnia locutus est Jesus in parabolis ad turbas : et sine parabolis non loquebatur eis : ut impleretur quod dictum erat per Prophetam dicentem : Aperiam in parabolis os meum, eructabo abscondita a constitutione mundi.

English translation

At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes : “The kingdom of heaven is likened to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field : which is the least indeed of all seeds, but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.”

Another parable He spoke to them, “The kingdom of heaven is likened to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes, and without parables He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Gradual and Alleluia

Liturgical Colour : Green

Psalm 43 : 8-9 and Psalm 129 : 1-2

Liberasti nos, Domine, ex affligentibus nos : et eos, qui nos oderunt, confudisti.

Priest : In Deo laudabimur tota die, et in Nomine Tuo confitebimur in saecula.

Alleluja, Alleluja.

Priest : De profundis clamavi ad Te, Domine : Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Alleluja.

English translation

You have delivered us, o Lord, from those who afflicted us, and had put them to shame that hate us.

Priest : In God we will glory all the day, and in Your Name we will give praise forever.

Alleluia, Alleluia.

Priest : From the depths I have cried to You, o Lord. Lord, hear my prayer. Alleluia.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Epistle

Liturgical Colour : Green

Lectio Epistolae Beati Pauli Apostoli ad Thessalonicenses – Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 1 : 2-10

Fratres : Gratias agimus Deo semper pro omnibus vobis, memoriam vestri facientes in orationibus nostris sine intermissione, memores operis fidei vestrae, et laboris, et caritatis, et sustinentiae spei Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ante Deum et Patrem nostrum : scientes, fratres, dilecti a Deo, electionem vestram : quia Evangelium nostrum non fuit ad vos in sermone tantum, sed et in virtute, et in Spiritu Sancto, et in plenitudine multa, sicut scitis quales fuerimus in vobis propter vos.

Et vos imitatores nostri facti estis, et Domini, excipientes verbum in tribulatione multa, cum gaudio Spiritus Sancti : ita ut facti sitis forma omnibus credentibus in Macedonia et in Achaja. A vobis enim diffamatus est sermo Domini, non solum in Macedonia et in Achaja,sed et in omni loco fides vestra, quae est ad Deum, profecta est, ita ut non sit nobis necesse quidquam loqui.

Ipsi enim de nobis annuntiant, qualem introitum habuerimus ad vos : et quomodo conversi estis ad Deum a simulacris, servire Deo vivo et vero, et exspectare Filium Ejus de caelis (quem suscitavit ex mortuis) Jesum, qui eripuit nos ab ira ventura.

English translation

Brethren, we give thanks to God for you all, making a remembrance of you in our prayers without ceasing; being mindful of the work of your faith, and labour, and charity, and of the enduring of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ before God and our Father, knowing, brethren, beloved of God, your election, for our Gospel had not been unto you in word only, but in power also, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much fullness, as you know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes.

And you became followers of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you were made a pattern to all who believe, in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you was spread abroad the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place, your faith which is towards God, is gone forth, so that we do not need to speak anything.

For they themselves relate to us, what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven (Whom He raised from the dead), Jesus Who had delivered us from the wrath to come.

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(Usus Antiquior) Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (II Classis) – Sunday, 15 November 2015 : Introit and Collect

Liturgical Colour : Green

Introit

Jeremiah 29 : 11, 12, 14 and Psalm 84 : 2

Dicit Dominus : Ego cogito cogitationes pacis, et non afflictionis : invocabitis me, et ego exaudiam vos : et reducam capitivitatem vestram de cunctis locis.

Benedixisti, Domine, terram Tuam : avertisti captivitatem Jacob.

Priest : Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper : et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

The Lord said, “I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction. You shall call upon Me and I will hear you, and I will bring back your captivity from all places.

Lord, You have blessed Your land, You have turned away the captivity of Jacob.

Priest : Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Collect

Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus : ut semper rationabilia meditantes, quae Tibi sunt placita, et dictis exsequamur et factis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum, qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

English translation

Grant, we beseech You, Almighty God, that, ever fixing our thoughts on reasonable things, we may both in word and in deed do what is pleasing to You. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who with You lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the Sacred Scriptures gave us a clear reminder of what we need to do in this life, that is to seek the Lord, with all of our strength, with all of our heart, and with all of our attention and effort. The story of the woman who constantly sought an evil judge without ceasing and eventually gained his attention and help is a model for us all to follow.

The evil judge represents someone with power and authority who has the ability to give what the woman wanted, that is justice and righteousness, but he was unwilling to do so, because he felt that he was above the law and not subject to any other authority or demands, and thus, he felt not obliged to listen to the woman or to any of her pleas.

And yet, the woman, who in fact represents all of us, the faithful people of God, kept without cease, asking and asking, begging and begging all day long, and seeking the judge all the time without end, pursuing him to give her justice against her enemies. Regardless of whatever situation, the woman did not stop persevering, and she kept on trying again and again.

Eventually the evil and wicked judge relented, not so much because he wanted to help her, but rather because her constant nagging and chasing after his justice has become a great nuisance to him, and he wanted to get rid of that nuisance by simply granting the woman her wish. He hoped that by granting her wish, she would stop coming at him and therefore stop disturbing him.

And this is to bring contrast between what the evil judge had done and what our Lord, God our Father will do to us, if we ask Him for a favour or for something. If the evil judge was willing to help the woman after incessant begging and pleas, then so much more will our Lord help us, when we ask for Him and for His favour and help. God will definitely help us if we ask Him.

The problem lies in the fact that many of us were unable to ask Him because of one reason or another. Many of us were not aware that God is able to help us and assist us, and many of us do not even know that God exists around us and that His sight is always upon us at all times. We often think that God is a fearsome and scary God Who is not approachable and Who will punish all those who break His laws.

Remember what Jesus said to His disciples? He said that if we need something, we should just ask, and it will be given to us, as long as it is within the will and the grace of God. And if we knock the door, the door and the way shall be opened to us, and we shall be able to find what we need. It is very important that all of us seek the Lord and beseech Him for help, not just for material goods, but more importantly, for the sake of our salvation.

Many of us remember the Lord only in bad and difficult times, asking or rather demanding Him to help us, as if He is like a wonder and miracle worker. But whenever we have good times, we often do not remember Him as we are often too busy with ourselves, and we are unable to shake ourselves free from those temptations of joy and pleasures of this world.

And whenever we do not get what we wanted when we ask it of the Lord, then we often become angry and disgusted. And many of us are angry at the Lord or no longer putting our trust in Him. But this is not the right attitude, since in the first place, we have no right to demand Him for anything. The story of the evil judge and the woman reminds us that what we can do is to ask the Lord and pray to Him, hoping that He will listen to us and fulfil our wishes.

And if the evil judge gave in to the woman’s wishes because of her incessant nuisance and insistence, God Who loves us all will surely listen to us if we ask. This is why our prayers must be genuine and constant, and not just a litany of requests and demands as what many of us often do. Rather, our prayers must be genuine and true, a real conversation with our God.

Let us all therefore from now on enhance our prayer and spiritual life, filling up our lives with genuine spirituality and focus on the Lord. Let us all renew our commitment to the Lord and devote ourselves ever more to God’s ways, and in all of our actions let us all bring glory to God and declare His love to all mankind. May God be with us all. Amen.

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Luke 18 : 1-8

At that time, Jesus told His disciples and the people a parable, to show them that they should pray continually, and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain town there was a judge, who neither feared God nor people. In the same town, there was a widow, who kept coming to him, saying, ‘Defend my rights against my opponent!'”

“For a time he refused, but finally he thought, ‘Even though I neither fear God nor care about people, this widow bothers me so much, I will see that she gets justice; then she will stop coming and wearing me out.”

And Jesus said, “Listen to what the evil judge says. Will God not do justice for His chosen ones, who cry to Him day and night, even if He delays in answering them? I tell you, He will speedily do them justice. But, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Psalm 104 : 2-3, 36-37, 42-43

Sing to Him, sing His praise, proclaim all His wondrous deeds. Glory in His holy Name; let those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Then He smote all the firstborn, the firstfruits of their manhood. He led Israel out of the alien land, laden with silver and gold, and none were left behind.

For He remembered His promise to Abraham, His servant. So He led forth His people with joy, His chosen ones with singing.

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Saturday, 14 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green or White (Saturday Mass of our Lady)

Wisdom 18 : 14-16 and Wisdom 19 : 6-9

While all was in quiet silence and the night was in the middle of its course, Your Almighty Word leapt down from the Royal Throne – a stern Warrior to a doomed world. Carrying Your fearful command like a sharpened sword and stretching from heaven to earth, He filled the universe with death.

All creation in its different forms was fashioned anew at Your command, in order to protect Your people. The cloud covered the camp with its shadow, dry land emerged where water had been. A safe passage was opened through the Red Sea, the tempestuous flood became a green plain where the whole nation of those protected by Your hand passed across, witnessing Your astounding deeds.

They were like horses led to pasture, or like frolicking lambs, praising You, their Lord, who had delivered them.

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Friday, 13 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we hear about the Lord who will choose the righteous and reject the wicked and the damned, on the day which He decides to be the day of judgment, when He will separate all those whom He deemed to be good and righteous, from those that He deems to not have been capable of achieving what He had looked for in us, that is love, devotion, and commitment to His ways.

We may think that we have led a good life, and we may think that everything we have in this life is all pleasant and happy. Yet, many of us usually overlook the fact that there are shortcomings in our life that we may not be aware of. And in many things, many of us have this tendency to be distracted in our lives by the many goodness and the many temptations that Satan and this world had offered to us.

And very importantly, as shown in our first reading today, from the Book of Wisdom, many of us are often distracted by the many great things in this world, which we enjoy and even praise, but yet in the end, we did not give glory to the One Who had made all of these possible, the One Who had created all of us and all of the things present in the universe.

Instead, as history had shown us, we have endeavoured to make into deities and gods the many wonders of the nature and this world. Thus, it was why many of our ancestors worshipped beings like the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and even idols and statues made from stone, marble, gold, silver, wood and other precious elements and materials. We settle on all these as idols and gods, instead of the one and only true God.

If we think that this was what happened in the past and that now we are already free from this, then we are mistaken in our beliefs. As it is evident that even though we may no longer worship these pagan idols and gods, the gods of nature and of precious elements, but we remain attached to wealth and possessions of this world, especially in our world today that is ever increasingly growing more and more attached to worldliness and worldly goods.

We just have to look at the way in which our world works and functions today. There are so many emphasis at materialism and commercialism in everything today, and all these help to fuel our greed and desires ever further, and as a result, we become ever more distracted from our true goal in God. There are too many things that draw us away from following what is good that we should have done in the Lord and in accordance with His ways.

This is what differentiates those who are following the Lord and stay true to His ways, and those who succumbed to the distractions of the world, and on the last day, when the time comes for us all to be judged, then we will find out our fate, where even those who are close to each other can have an entirely different fate, one who is saved and blessed, while the other is condemned to hell.

Do we all want to end up like those who have been rejected by God? Do we want to end up in the eternal suffering of hell? Certainly, none of us want this fate for ourselves, but sadly many of us had the problem that we did not know what to do or how to find the correct path to reach out to our Lord. And then the way is also not going to be an easy one, as challenges, temptations and all the various difficulties and obstacles lie on that path.

But if we have the will and desire to follow the Lord, nothing is impossible, as long as we stay committed to our path and destination, that is salvation and eternal joy and happiness in God alone. Courage and dedication are needed, and we have to be brave to live up to our faith, and if necessary, turn our back against all the temptations that the devil has lined up against us.

Let us all lead a more wholesome and meaningful life by dedicating ourselves more to God, by loving Him ever more through all the things we do, especially by loving one another, our fellow brethren in the Lord. Let us all be loving and dedicated children of our Lord, our Father, Who will bless us forevermore for our faith and endless commitment. God be with us all. Amen.

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Friday, 13 November 2015 : 32nd Week of Ordinary Time (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Green

Luke 17 : 26-37

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be on the day the Son of Man comes. In those days people ate and drank and got married; but on the day Noah entered the Ark, the flood came and destroyed them all.”

“So it was in the days of Lot : people ate and drank, and bought and sold, and planted and built; but on the day Lot left Sodom, God made fire and sulphur rain down from heaven, which destroyed them all. So will it be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”

“On that day, if you are on the rooftop, do not go down into the house to get your belongings; and if you happen to be in the fields, do not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to save his life will lose himself, but whoever gives his life will be born again.”

“I tell you, though two men are sharing the same bed, it might happen that one will be taken, and the other left; though two women are grinding corn together, one might be taken and the other left.”

Then they asked Jesus, “Where will this take place, Lord?” And He answered, “Where the body is, there too will the vultures gather.”